Blockchain IP: Innovation & Distributed Ledger Revolution

Blockchain IP: Innovation and the Distributed Ledger RevolutionThursday, November 29, 2018 | 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Program Fee: Free to Members and Members of MIT Enterprise Forum of NYC | $15 Non-Members Members of MIT Enterprise Forum of NYC: Please call Customer Service at 212-382-6663 to register

Description:
It has been argued that blockchain technology is the most important computing invention in a generation because its distributed ledger, based on robust encryption, enables two parties to transact business without a third party to establish trust. Fortunes have been made and lost speculating on the value of seemingly ephemeral cryptocurrencies. Some posit that, like the Yukon gold rush, the real money will be made in selling the 21st-century equivalent of picks and shovels rather than mining the underlying ore. Not surprisingly, blockchain-related patent applications have increased exponentially over last year. The roundtable-style program will be geared toward in-house and outside counsel as well as non-attorneys, and is designed to address schemes to protecting blockchain innovations, the options for enforcement, and the ways that distributed ledger technology may be used to enhance or protect intellectual property assets. Our panel of experts will address (1) the basics of blockchain technology, (2) an overview of the ways intellectual property rights in blockchain innovations can be protected, (3) challenges for protecting blockchain technology with patents, (4) using blockchain to protect and augment intellectual property for brick-and-mortar technologies, and (5) enforcement of blockchain IP rights.